Reject mechanism for coil handling apparatus



Aug. 6, 1957 M. s. COULTER REJECT MECHANISM FOR COILHANDLING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 13, 1954 3 Sheets-Sha et 1.

M/VE/V TOR.

his Attorney.

MEADES. COULTER, 'Wfi 5M5,

M. S. COULTER Aug. 6, 1957 2,801,812

REJECT MECHANISM FOR con. HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 13, 1954 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. M549: 5. COUL rm, B gma yw his Attorney.

1957 M. s. CQULTER 2,801,812

BEJECT MECHANISM FOR con. HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 13, 1954 a Sheets-Sheet :s

INVENTiOR' MEADE S. COUL TEE,

his Aflorn ey.

REJECT RECHANISM FOR CGIL HANDLING APPARATUS The present invention relates generally to apparatus for handling coils of metal strip material and more particularly to apparatus for diverting defective coils from a processing line.

Ordinarily, the processing lines of modern metal strip rolling mills are provided with uncoilers of various types for unwinding coils of strip material preparatory to processing. In the conventional method of unwinding coils, the coil of strip to be processed is placed on an inclined uncoiler entry ramp where it is held in position adjacent the uncoiler by a power actuated coil stop or barrier which normally projects upwardly from the surface of the ramp into the path of the coil. In order to position the coil in the uncoiler, the stop is depressed to permit the coil to roll down the inclined surface of the entry ramp until it comes to rest on the coil support cradle of a coil handling or positioning apparatus such as is shown in the patent to Muddiman, No. 2,679,363. The coil is then moved vertically and/r horizontally by means of the coil handling apparatus into position where it may be engaged by the mandrel cones of the tes Patent uncoiler in the manner described in the aforesaid patent.

At times, while a coil is being placed on the uncoiler, or after a portion of a coil has been processed, the coil may be found to be defective so that it is necessary that it be rejected without further processing and immediately removed from the processing line. When this occurs, the coil must again be supported by the cradle of the positioning apparatus and removed from the uncoiler. Prior to my invention, the rejected coil remained on the cradle after it was removed from the uncoiler until it could be carried away by means of an overhead crane or a ram tractor. This frequently caused delays in production with consequent increases in production costs since a crane or tractor was not always readily available to remove the coil. While the rejected coil remained on the positioning apparatus, another coil could not be uncoiled and fed into the processing line, therefore, the line had to remain inactive until the defective coil could be removed.

It is, accordingly, an object of my invention to provide apparatus for handling coils of strip material having improved mechanism for diverting defective coils to reject platforms without the use of extraneous auxiliary equipment.

This and other objects will become more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawings, in which:

Figure l is a top plan view of a coil handling apparatus having my invention incorporated therein;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line -11 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a crosssectional view taken on the line IHII1 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 2 designates an inclined entry ramp for conducting coils S of strip material to a coil handling apparatus 4 for placement on an uncoiler 6. The entry 2,801,812 Patented Aug. 6, l. 957

ramp includes the usual retractable stop 8 which prevents movement of the coil until it is desired to advance it to the coil handling apparatus. The uncoiler 6 is provided with mandrel cones 10 which are of ordinary construction and include retractable fingers 12 engageable with the inside of the coil S. The mandrel cones are rotatable on a fixed horizontal axis and are usually provided with mechanism for restraining rotation and tensioning the strip.

The coil handling apparatus 4 manipulates the coils between the entry ramp 2 and the uncoiler 6 and comprises a cradle 14 supported on a carriage 16, located in a pit 13 beneath floor level. Mechanism is provided for moving the cradle 14 vertically and horizontally to move the coils from the ramp to mandrel cone engaging position. The cradle has a downwardly sloping section 20 and upwardly sloping sections 22 and 24, Figure 2. When the cradle is in position to receive a coil from entry ramp 2 (dotted line portion of Figure 2), section 20 forms a continuation of the ramp. On retraction of the stop 8, the coil S rolls from the ramp 2 onto the cradle 14.

Carriage 16 includes a horizontally movable, vertically fixed outer box 26 and an inner box 3 8 slidably telescoped within box 26 for relative vertical movement. The outer box 26 is supported within the pit 13 on guides 28 which constrain carriage movement to a horizontal path. A rearwardly extending floor plate 30 may be affixed to the upper edge of the box 26 to cover the pit 18. The guides 28 include flanged wheels 32 rotatably mounted on the carriage and riding on rails 34 fixed to shelves on the sides of the pit, as best shown in Figures 2 and 3. Hydraulic or pneumatic piston and cylinder means 36 are provided for moving the carriage horizontally. A flanged stop 37 in the path of the carriage stops horizontal movement of the carriage when the coil is vertically aligned with the mandrels, the full line position of Figure 2.

Cradle 14 is rotatably and pivotally supported at the top of 'box 38, as hereinafter fully described. A pair of extensible supply pipes 40 are: supported in the pit 18. and are connected to a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 42. The cylinder 42 is fixed within the outer box 26 and contains a piston 44. The piston 44 is connected with the inner box 38 by a flange 46 on the piston and a bracket 48 on the inner box 38, whereby the inner box, cradle, and a coil thereon are raised or lowered on move-- ment of the piston 44.

After a coil has been placed on the cradle, as shown in the dotted line portion of Figure 2, the cradle is elevated to locate the coil center at mandrel level which is somewhat higher than the level of the entry ramp of the cradle at this position. Means (not shown) are provided for automatically stopping vertical movement when the coil reaches mandrel level.

After the coil has thus been aligned with the mandrel cones 10, the latter are projected into the coil and fingers 12 extended to engage and support the coil for unwinding. After the mandrel cones engage the coil, cradle 14 is lowered and its horizontal movement reversed to return it tothe dotted line position of Figure 2. While the coil on the mandrel cones is unwinding, another coil may be placed on cradle 14 and raised in position ready to be moved forward to mandrel cone engaging position.

When, by inspection, a coil on cradle 14 is found to be defective, the cradle is rotated and tilted to divert the coil to a reject platform 50 by means of the apparatus of my invention, as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

The equipment thus far described is not partof my invention and hence has been described only in suflicient detail to enable a clear understanding of the invention, the details of which will now be described.

As best shown in Figures 2 and 3, the underside of the cradle has bearing surfaces 52 and 54 that normally rest on a flange 56, which functions as a stop, and roller 58, respectively, on the upper side of the inner box 38. The cradle is pivoted, on a horizontal axis 60, to a collar 62 rotatably supported at the top of the piston 44 on bearings 64-. A segmental gear 66 is fixed to collar 62 and is adapted to be driven by a gear motor 68.

In the position shown in Figure 2, the cradle is prevented from tilting by engagement of bearing surfaces 52 and 54 with flange 56 and roller 58.

When the cradle receives a defective coil, it is rotated 90 clockwise, as viewed in Figure l, by operation of the motor 68, and reaches the position of Figure 3. Bearing surface 52 is removed from flange 56 and placed above an inclined stop 70 (see Figure 3). The cradle is pivoted clockwise about axis 60 by action of a pres sure cylinder and piston and mechanism 72 to lift cradle section 24. Tilting of cradle 14 is stopped by engagement of bearing surface 52 with stop 70.

Cradle section 20 is thus aligned with reject platform 50 and the coil rolls onto the latter instead of being delivered to the mandrel cones. The movements just described are reversed to return the cradle to coil receiving position.

The apparatus of the invention may also be used to remove defective coils when the defect is not discovered until the coil is on the mandrel cones of the uncoiler, in which event, the coil may be partially unwound. When used for this purpose, cradle 14 is moved to a position beneath the coil and raised into engagement therewith, after which the mandrel cones are withdrawn from the coil. The cradle is then returned to the dotted line position of Figure 2 and the coil placed on the reject platform as described before.

It is apparent that the present invention provides coil handling apparatus that easily and quickly diverts defective coils out of a processing line to a reject platform. Thus the down-time of coil processing equipment due to removal of defective coils is greatly minimized.

While one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for handling coils of strip material for placement on an uncoiler including a carriage, a coil supporting cradle pivotally mounted on said carriage for relative vertical movement and rotation on a vertical axis, said cradle being movable about a horizontal axis, means for elevating said cradle, and means for moving said carriage and said cradle horizontally toward said uncoiler, the improvement therewith of mechanism for diverting a defective coil from said cradle to a reject platform adjacent said uncoiler, said mechanism comprising means for rotating said cradle through approximately a 90 are about said vertical axis into alignment with said reject platform, and means for tilting said cradle about its horizontal axis to effect movement of the defective coil from said cradle to said reject platform.

2. In an apparatus for handling coils of strip material,

' the improvement therewith as defined by claim 1 characterized by said rotating means including a segmental gear disposed on the underside of said cradle in a horizontal plane, and a motor having a power shaft with a pinion gear thereon disposed on said carriage adjacent said cradle with said pinion gear in mesh with said segmental gear.

3. In an apparatus for handling coils of strip material, the improvement therewith as defined by claim 1 characterized by said tilting means including a pressure fluid cylinder having a piston slidable therein mounted on said carriage subjacent said cradle remote from said reject platform with said piston adapted to engage the undersurface of said cradle to effect tilting of the same.

4. In an apparatus for handling coils of strip material, the improvement therewith as defined by claim 3 including stop means on said carriage for preventing tilting of said cradle except when the cradle is rotated into alignment with said reject platform.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

